Northwoods Table Talk

Lection for 1st Sunday after Trinity  Proverbs 14:1-27        John 15:1-11 The readings above are for the June 14 in the Daily Lectionary used in Lutheran Service Book and also found in the Treasury of Daily Prayer.  As this Sunday is also the 1st Sunday after Trinity, it is my prayer that on a Sunday you will be in service, and your devotional time will be filled with time gathered around Word and Sacrament. As we are still in exile though, I do know that some cannot get there. I was also told that some did not like the fact that I linked to a video of what we recorded, they would have preferred something written. So, the reading for this Sunday in the church year are (click the link to be taken to the reading): Genesis 15:1-6       1 John 4:16-21       Luke 16:19-31 Here is my sermon for today, printed. Hear Moses and the Prophets! Really! Hear Them! Luke 16:19-31 Grace to you and peace from God our Father...

Lection for Saturday after Holy Trinity  Proverbs 13:1-25       John 14:18-31 Yesterday we focused on Jesus’ words, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Today, I want to focus on Jesus words in reading from John’s Gospel, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.” You are probably thinking, but yesterday’s quote and today’s quote are much the same. Yes, there are some distinct similarities. There is, in today’s quote, what appears to be a conditional “if…then…” clause; “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.”   It almost seems that Jesus is saying, “If you do this, then My Father will do this for you.” What is problematic is that this is not the origina...

Lection for Friday after Holy Trinity  Proverbs 10:1-23       John 14:1-17 Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” He does not say, “If you love Me, you will try to keep My commandments.” He does not say, “If you love Me, you will make up your own commandments.” He does not say, “If you love Me, as times change and evolve, so will My commandments – keep whatever is applicable for you in your time and age.” (And let’s face it, as God who knew all things, the Father did know that some things would change, and He could have forewarned us that His will about such things was going to change… BUT, it is strange that He didn’t… Or it isn’t strange at all, because His will remains the same.) He does not say, “If you love me, you will understand what I truly mean, even though I said something that was very clearly able to be understood as I said it – without some hidden meaning you had to decipher.” Jesus commandments are after all, the ...

Lection for Thursday after Holy Trinity Proverbs 9:1-18       John 13:21-38 When I started doing these devotions, I thought I would confine myself to simply writing them on the New Testament readings appointed for each day. Well, today I thought I’d like to focus on a portion of the reading from Proverbs.  Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  That is some of the best advice ever given.  But even greater than the advice is the fact that this is Gospel, it is good news. Of course, many will deny it is so because it speaks of fear. When was the last time you read through the 10 Commandments in Luther’s Small Catechism, paying special attention to his explanations of them? Did you notice the word fear in every explanation? His explanation of the First Commandment sets...

Lection for Wednesday after Holy Trinity Proverbs 8:22-36       John 13:1-20 In this text from John’s Gospel, Jesus washes the disciple’s feet, but Peter does not want Him to stoop to the level of washing his feet. You see, the washing of feet is the task for the lowliest servant or person in the home. Jesus is the rabbi, the teacher, the one who should have his feet washed by Peter. So Jesus had to rebuke Peter (yes, again), “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Of course, as Peter always seems to do, after being rebuked for this thinking, he goes to the other extreme, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus reply is to tell him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” Not all of you? Who is He talking about? Our text tells us… For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” He knew Judas wou...

Lection for Tuesday after Holy Trinity Proverbs 8:1-21       John 12:36-50 Did you hear Jesus’ words in our reading from John’s Gospel? Did you notice that He claims not to speak of His own authority, Jesus speaks, but only by the authority of the Father. We just celebrated Holy Trinity Sunday, we confessed the unity of the trinity, that none is before or above the others. Yet Jesus chooses not to speak of his own authority. On the night in which He was resurrected, He appeared to His disciples in the upper room. On that evening He gave a special commission to the 11, that they were to be those to whom He gives authority - His authority - authority he received from the Father. That authority is to forgive sins as recorded by John in the 20th chapter. So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with ...

Lection for Monday after Holy Trinity Proverbs 5:1-23       John 12:20-36 I pray you read the reading from John’s Gospel listed above. It is a handy link, all you need to do is click on it and it takes you to the reading. It is so slick! This text comes on the day of, and shortly after Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem. That coming Thursday He will gather with His disciples to celebrate the Passover. He will wash their feet. He will institute the Lord’s Supper, giving them the meal which will bestow His Body and His Blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins, to all generations. After instituting the Eucharist, He will go to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Jewish temple guards will arrest Him and bring Him before the High Priest for a pretention of a trial that had a predetermined outcome – His crucifixion. On Friday, He will be brought before Pontius Pilate who will wash his hands of the affair, condemning Jesus to death by crucifixion. In our read...

Lectionary for Holy Trinity Sunday Rather than a devotion for this day, I thought I would simply give you the link to the video-taped version of the sermon for the day. You will hear the reading for this day, be able to confess the Creed, and sing the hymn of the day. Then, you may watch/listen to... the sermon. Holy Trinity